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OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

It's that magical time of year when I push a bunch of merch out there and hope everyone buys it so I can pay my health insurance! Woooo!

This year, we've got the 2016 wall calendar, featuring the villains, along with the regular holiday ornaments and a selection of new t-shirts. Let's look at the cover of the calendar first:

And how about a sneak preview of what will be on your wall a year from today:

The calendar is on sale at Ookoodook right now. It's a pre-order again, which means there are a few caveats but we'll go over them at the end of this post. For now, let's move on to the stuff from CafePress. First, the ornaments:

NPC League hockey heats up with the Cliffport Pirates vs. the Western Conference Lizards!

Look, they're evil fiends from beyond the world of mortalsrhyming isn't their strong suit.

Now, some t-shirt designs:

We also have some new kid-oriented designs:

The ornaments and shirts are on sale from CafePress as always; you can order them today and they will ship in, like 2-3 days, tops.

Let's get some Almost Certainly to Be Asked Anyway Despite Me Answering Them Now Questions (ACTBAADMATNQs):

Q: Wait, the calendar is on sale from one place and the ornaments are on sale at another?
A: Yes. The calendars are printed by us through our regular channels that we use to print the books, while the shirts and ornaments are both produced and shipped by CafePress.

Q: Does that mean I have to pay shipping twice if I want both?
A: Yes. There's no viable way for us to offer the two products shipping from the same location, since we never touch the CafePress stuffit goes right from the printer to you.

Q: Does CafePress have shipping locations in other countries?
A: Yes! If you're outside the US, you can switch to CafePress in Canada, the UK, or Australia and they should have all of the same stuff. I can't verify this because every time I try it redirects me to the US site, but it's supposed to work.

Q: Hey, I have this great idea for how you can offer both the calendar and the shirts for one shipping price!
A: It's great that you're trying to help, but it's almost certainly not financially viable or realistic for us. Ookoodook is a very small company and can't afford to open a warehouse in Europe or negotiate shipping deals with CafePress or what have you.

Q: Why are the overseas shipping costs from Ookoodook so high?
A: See previous answerbecause Ookoodook is a very small company that is bringing these to the post office, and that's what the US Postal Service charges for an international package that can be tracked these days. Yes, Amazon charges less for shipping. Ookoodook is not Amazon.

Q: Is there a bulk shipping deal for reduced shipping on the calendar like there was last year?
A: No. There were problems with that shipment transpiring in a timely fashion, and we got a lot of complaints, so we're not doing it again this year. Besides, the shipping costs only even went down for orders that included the then-new book (which was very heavy) and the calendar. With just a calendar as the only new product, there would be no savings anyway.

Q: Is the calendar order a pre-order?
A: Yes. We hope for the calendar to start shipping around December 11th, which should be plenty of time for it to arrive before Christmas (much less the new year). However, we've had stuff go wrong before, and that date is not a hard and fast date. To be perfectly clear: We in no way can promise that the calendars will ship by December 11th, or that you will receive them in time for Christmas. We can only tell you that our current production schedule looks like those will be the shipping dates. If we miss those dates, please don't come here and yell at me that I implied a promise to deliver it on time. There are no promises given regarding the exact timing.

Q: Will CafePress be having any sales or coupons for the OOTS stuff?
A: I hope so, but probably not. In years past, they were very generous with coupons that gave out stuff like free shipping, but they haven't had one for three or four years now. Or rather, they have lots of coupons but they only ever work in their "Marketplace," which is the part of their site where they control prices and actively mess with designs (i.e. putting them on whatever products they feel like rather than just the ones that look right). If they issue a coupon that says it works for Shops like mine, I will post it here immediately, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.

Q: Do you have any tips for ordering from CafePress?
A: Yes! There are a lot of different garment options from CafePressthat's one of the reasons we still use thembut some of them print better than others. In particular, the white shirts and products print much better than the dark ones; that's why some designs that require the art to look right are only offered on white. If you want a dark shirt, your best bet is to pick one of the "one-color" designs, like the all-green version of Roy. The full-color dark shirts will print, but the designs tend to be more faded in color (which might not bother you at all, but I felt I had to mention it).

Q: I still have money leftover; do you have any other new OOTS products you haven't mentioned?
A: Yes! While they came out a month or two ago, Morland Miniatures is now offering gaming minis of three new OOTS characters: Nale, Sabine, and Thog. You can get them here.

Q: These are great and all, but what I really wanted was the PDF of the next OOTS books.
A: Well, good news: I am definitely going to release No Cure for the Paladin Blues in PDF format. Not before Christmas, though. Maybe right after it, or maybe at the start of the new year, or maybe a few weeks inwe'll see how long it takes me to convert all the files. But it's definitely happening.

Q: All I care about is the comic. Is there a new one yet?
A: Yes, in a little while, after I get all this promo stuff in place.

OK, that's everything I can think of. If any of you bring up any new questions, I'll answer them and add them to this post.

Rich Burlew

Utterly Dwarfed, the sixth compilation of The Order of the Stick is now in stock. Order at Ookoodook (paper copies) or Gumroad (digital PDFs), or pick it up from your local gaming store.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

I just need to note that Redcloak looks unbelievably badass.

EDIT: Also,

Originally Posted by The Giant

Q: I still have money leftover; do you have any other new OOTS products you haven't mentioned?
A: Yes! While they came out a month or two ago, Morland Miniatures is now offering gaming minis of three new OOTS characters: Nale, Sabine, and Thog. You can get them here.

I imagine that "here" is supposed to be hyperlinked? It's not.

Last edited by Peelee; 2015-11-24 at 12:17 PM.

The Mod on the Silver Mountain avatars by the wonderfully talented Cuthalion!

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

It took me a while to figure out what the proper interpretation of the goblin stick figure feet would be in the upgraded style. In last year's calendar, I had him barefoot with the old-style three-toe foot, just in green. And it looked weak and unthreatening, and I didn't like it. When I started working on the O-Chul story, I came up with new goblin footwear for the enemy soldiers in that story, and I liked it enough to bring it over to Redcloak.

So starting now, armored goblin-types get nice heavy boots instead.

Rich Burlew

Utterly Dwarfed, the sixth compilation of The Order of the Stick is now in stock. Order at Ookoodook (paper copies) or Gumroad (digital PDFs), or pick it up from your local gaming store.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Fantasy literature is ONLY worthwhile for what it can tell us about the real world; everything else is petty escapism.

Originally Posted by The Giant

No author should have to take the time to say, "This little girl ISN'T evil, folks!" in order for the reader to understand that. It should be assumed that no first graders are irredeemably Evil unless the text tells you they are.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Originally Posted by The Giant

It took me a while to figure out what the proper interpretation of the goblin stick figure feet would be in the upgraded style. In last year's calendar, I had him barefoot with the old-style three-toe foot, just in green. And it looked weak and unthreatening, and I didn't like it. When I started working on the O-Chul story, I came up with new goblin footwear for the enemy soldiers in that story, and I liked it enough to bring it over to Redcloak.

So starting now, armored goblin-types get nice heavy boots instead.

Sweet! I agree, this new foot design looks fantastic. I shall definitely be preordering this with money I borrowed from the federal government temporarily have.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Originally Posted by The Giant

It took me a while to figure out what the proper interpretation of the goblin stick figure feet would be in the upgraded style. In last year's calendar, I had him barefoot with the old-style three-toe foot, just in green. And it looked weak and unthreatening, and I didn't like it. When I started working on the O-Chul story, I came up with new goblin footwear for the enemy soldiers in that story, and I liked it enough to bring it over to Redcloak.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

I understand and accept the disclaimer that you cant guarantee the arrival date of the calendars. Having said that, do you have any better understanding of what went on last year and/or how to prevent it from happening this year? While I am willing to wait however long it takes, delays included, last year's delay was so... out there, that I feel the need to ask.

Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Originally Posted by Keltest

I understand and accept the disclaimer that you cant guarantee the arrival date of the calendars. Having said that, do you have any better understanding of what went on last year and/or how to prevent it from happening this year? While I am willing to wait however long it takes, delays included, last year's delay was so... out there, that I feel the need to ask.

The main thing that happened last year (if memory serves) was that the company Ookoodook picked for the bulk shipping option completely dropped the ball and had to be replaced at the last minute...and then that new company got stuff stuck in customs, for the international customers. Since we're not doing bulk shipping at all this year, that shouldn't be an issue. There still could be a problem with the printersee the previous year, when they sent me a proof about half the size it was supposed to bebut I feel better about this year then previous because I'm not waiting for to see order numbers before placing the print run order; I'm just basing it on the sales from the past two years.

So the calendar will go to the printer on Monday morning (I have to finish the back cover today, and they're closed tomorrow through Sunday), it should take 2 days to get the proof, and if there are no problems, 5 days to print and 2 to ship from the printer to Ookoodook. Hence, the 11th. (That last step is also prone to delays, by the way; freight shipping seems to be a very sketchy industry in that way.) I also have the option of paying for a rush delivery, if need be, though that will be very pricey and I'll probably only do that if sales spike way above what I'm expecting and Ookoodook needs extra time to pack boxes.

So, the 11th is the projected date, and the 13th is probably the because-something-always-goes-wrong date. Either way, US customers should have their calendar in time for the holidays.

Originally Posted by Gift Jeraff

Aw, I was hoping Xykon would get October since he's a spooky scary skeleton.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Originally Posted by Bedinsis

I don't normally browse the store, but is the Alignments theme finished/abandoned? I ask because Lawful(or Order) never got a symbol from what I could see.

I don't really have any Lawful characters who don't skew heavily toward either Good or Evil, so it's been put on hold. I don't want to put out a Law shirt with, say, Malack or Roy or someone on it because that will skew the perception of Lawfulness. The best I have right now are the lawyers, and they're more of a gag than a true representation of Law. But new characters pop up all the time, so when I have one, that's the year that the Law shirt will come out.

Rich Burlew

Utterly Dwarfed, the sixth compilation of The Order of the Stick is now in stock. Order at Ookoodook (paper copies) or Gumroad (digital PDFs), or pick it up from your local gaming store.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Wow, these might be worth it for the villains with upgraded art all by themselves! Redcloak looks awesome.

...so does that mean the archfiends actually have physical forms under those cloaks? I always wondered.

At least two of them have red-ish (don't give me that, im colorblind) hands and arms coming out from their robes. Im going out on a limb and saying yes, they do have physical bodies.

Evil is evil. Lesser, greater, middling, it's all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I'm not a pious hermit, I haven't done only good in my life. But if I'm to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Fantasy literature is ONLY worthwhile for what it can tell us about the real world; everything else is petty escapism.

Originally Posted by The Giant

No author should have to take the time to say, "This little girl ISN'T evil, folks!" in order for the reader to understand that. It should be assumed that no first graders are irredeemably Evil unless the text tells you they are.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Originally Posted by The Giant

I don't really have any Lawful characters who don't skew heavily toward either Good or Evil, so it's been put on hold. I don't want to put out a Law shirt with, say, Malack or Roy or someone on it because that will skew the perception of Lawfulness. The best I have right now are the lawyers, and they're more of a gag than a true representation of Law. But new characters pop up all the time, so when I have one, that's the year that the Law shirt will come out.

Celia? At least in her major appearance so far (escape from AC to Greysky City and battle vs the Thieves guild) she comes off as pretty Lawful.

But of course you may very well have something better planned down the road, knowing the story and all ...

Last edited by Vargtass; 2015-11-24 at 04:10 PM.

There aren't really any exclusive or original ideas on TVTropes. That's kind of the point.
- Nerd-o-rama.

Re: OOTS 2016 Villains Calendar and 2015 Holiday Ornament

Originally Posted by The Giant

I don't really have any Lawful characters who don't skew heavily toward either Good or Evil, so it's been put on hold. I don't want to put out a Law shirt with, say, Malack or Roy or someone on it because that will skew the perception of Lawfulness. The best I have right now are the lawyers, and they're more of a gag than a true representation of Law. But new characters pop up all the time, so when I have one, that's the year that the Law shirt will come out.

Well, to be fair, you didn't feel the need to stick with Neutral Evil for the Evil shirt (I'd call Xykon Chaotic Evil, but I suppose there's room for interpretation) or Neutral Good for the Good shirt (as a 3.5 edition Paladin in good standing, O-Chul HAS to be Lawful Good). Granted, in the case of the former, it's because he was the one used for the in-strip gag, but still...

Though to refute my own argument, I suppose you could argue that Xykon and O-Chul are Evil and Good first, and Chaotic and Lawful second, and I'm hard pressed to remember a character who's Lawful first, and Good or Evil second.* (Julio is a fine example of Chaotic first and... Good-ish? second.)